Rin's Night Terrors
by Silindro
Summary: Oneshot. Dreams of terrible things plagued Rin during the night. Without anyone to protect her, she was helpless to her childish fears. Sesshoumaru was the only saving grace.


Rin's Night Terrors ~-~-~*~-~-~  
  
The fire had long since burned out of their campsite, leaving a pile of smoldering ashes to light the overhang of rock that was their shelter for the night. Their resting place was a cave-like place, an indenture in the cliff made of stone. Sounds bounced easily off of the walls inside, and easily into small, frightened ears.  
  
Rin lay curled against the side of Aun, listening to the sharp breathing of the animal in its sleep. Try as hard as she might, she couldn't get the feeling of insecurity to leave long enough for her to give way to the peaceful rest that Jaken was obviously enjoying on the other side of the once-thriving fire.  
  
Sleep never came easy these days, a testament to the fact that memories cease to forget, and the horrors of the world were not lost. Occasionally she would remember the slaughter of her family at the hands of angry bandits in the night. She could sometimes still hear the screams when she closed her eyes...  
  
The sound of the wind in the nearby forest rattled the trees and gave way to snapping branches. Rin flinched visibly at the fear that someone could be coming close, maybe someone that wanted to hurt her. She was always afraid of such things when it got dark.  
  
Jaken murmured something incomprehensible in his sleep, and the sound reverberated against the rocks, amplifying in the little girl's ears. She put her hands over her eyes, daring to peek out through the gaps and see who was there.  
  
Aun twitched slightly in its sleep, one of the clawed feet coming up to knick the back of Rin's leg. Crying out softly, Rin curled up in a tight ball, holding herself as a means of protection and comfort. She could feel the blood trickling down from the cut, dropping softly onto the dirt below.  
  
Now sobbing to herself, Rin thought of happy things, like sunlight and fields with flowers. She thought of hot spring baths and her Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama," she cried softly.  
  
Opening her eyes, she peeked around the blackened campsite, wary of what she might see peeking out of the dark. Perhaps there were scary beasts or even bandits in the shadows. Maybe even ghosts. She knew Jaken was nearby, but he wasn't much in the way of protection. At times he was just as scared as she.  
  
Where was Sesshoumaru? She needed him to protect her from the scary monsters out to get her! He just had to...  
  
The fear coursed through her body, making her legs shaky and difficult to stand on. She took a tentative step in the dark, her hands held out in front to catch unforeseen dangers in her path. The soft glow of the embers made the journey a bit easier to maneuver.  
  
The sound of falling pebbles hitting the stone cliff above made Rin gasp in fright and run back to Aun, hiding her face in his scaly stomach. Moments passed as she cried into the animal's side. Gaining the courage to once again step into the unknown, she made her way out of the cave and into the open.  
  
The moon was covered by clouds, making the normally-dim light black and just as menacing as the cave from which she had just come.  
  
Reaching up, she began to chew on her thumb, a habit that she had picked up when just a baby. Her mother had scolded her for the childish tendency, so she was reluctant to do such an immature thing. But she was scared, so maybe it was alright this one time.  
  
"Go back to sleep."  
  
Rin turned sharply at the voice, seeing Sesshoumaru sitting nearby against a tree. His fur pelt was draped behind his head, acting as a make-shift pillow. The armor that he wore in battle and travel was hanging from one of the lower limbs. Toukijin and Tenseiga were lain nearby, just within arms reach of the youkai lord. He looked peaceful.  
  
Rin warily walked over to Sesshoumaru, some part of her afraid that he would be upset at her wandering.  
  
Standing near his feet, she looked up at him through blurry eyes, her cheeks still wet with tears. Kicking at the ground, she waited for him to scold her.  
  
"Why have you been crying?"  
  
"There are bad things in my dreams," she whispered.  
  
Feeling the inside of his chest twitch at the frightened tone of her voice, Sesshoumaru once again felt his reserve breaking. He remembered a time when even he felt vulnerable without the protection of his father by his side. The fear that Rin felt was most likely ten times as great, if not more, as she had no one but him to keep her from harm. Dreams were a different story, though, as he couldn't fight those for her.  
  
It didn't do anything to ease the guilt he felt.  
  
Holding out his hand, he beckoned for Rin to come closer. She did without question, and surprisingly enough, crawled into his lap. Laying her head against his chest, she laid a tiny hand on the pelt that ran across his shoulder and stroked the fur softly.  
  
"It's scary at night, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin said softly.  
  
"Night terrors are your own struggle, you must face up to them," he answered.  
  
Rin closed her eyes, relaxing in the feel of the voice that rumbled deep within Sesshoumaru's chest. It was comforting to know that he was there to keep watch over her.  
  
"Sleep now, Rin."  
  
Silence was his only answer, as the girl had already succumbed to the pleasures of a dreamless, peaceful slumber. Her weight and her trust all rested upon him now. He was her protector and guardian, and he had to live up to those expectations.  
  
Laying his hand against her sleeping back, he reveled in the feel of the steady breathing. It was enough to know that she was there, she was real, and she belonged to him.  
  
The night terrors would not be an incorrigible source of fear for her anymore.  
  
~-~-~*~-~-~  
  
A/N: Well that went well, I think. Kind of sweet, really, to see the interaction between these two over such simple things. Reviews appreciated and encouraged!!  
  
It's a fanfiction sin to read without reviewing. 


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